Getting here

Travelling to the New Forest

The New Forest is great for ‘green’ visits with railway stations that bring you right into the heart of the area. Cycle hire is easy and there are many miles of flat, marked tracks. By car the M27, A36 and A31 provide good access, while the international airports at Southampton and Bournemouth are both close by. Once you are in the New Forest there is little doubt that the slower modes of transport - on foot, by bike or on horseback - are best if you want to experience the landscape and the wildlife 'up close and personal'. An open-top tour bus operates in high summer.

Travellers' rest - five interesting modes of transport in the New Forest
1. Monorail - at Beaulieu Abbey and National Motor Museum
2. Steam railway - at Exbury Gardens
3. Pier train (the oldest in the world) - at Hythe, linking to the Southampton ferry
4. Ferries - at Keyhaven for Hurst Castle, at Hythe for Southampton and at Lymington for Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight
5. Open-top tour bus - on a circular route around the main villages and attractions in high summer